What Doesn't Kill You
by fishstic
Summary: Meiriana only ever had one friend, Leliana. Through circumstances beyond her control Meiriana ended up meeting Ella Cousland daughter of Bryce Cousland the main proponent for Elven Rights. After an attempted assassination, Ella has little choice but to do as her father says and protect her new friends. But how long can that protection last when no one knows who the real enemy is?
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

About the way I've chosen to have the languages portrayed:

Since Meiriana is the main point of view character -though other characters points of view do get put in, partly because of something that gets revealed later on, and partly because of it just working better at some points- the languages she does not understand will be done as "thing being said in the language (usually french)," character said [translation]. | Like how in movies and tv when the main character doesn't understand the language being spoken (or just another language is being spoken in general) there's captions for the audience.

When Meiriana does understand the language being spoken, ie it's something she learned in school it will be written as "whatever is said," character said in *insert language here*.

I'm sorry if this is a bit confusing, I promise you're no more confused than Meiriana who has no idea what Ella and Leliana are talking about half the time.

French Translations in the brackets [like these]

* * *

Meiriana ducked through the crowd of people making their way around town. The streets were always busy, this made it easy to vanish from pursuers. This also made it easy for pursuers to vanish and catch someone off guard. Luckily for Meiriana, she could still see her pursuers when she glanced over her shoulder. She found herself getting close to something as the crowd was thinning and she could almost make out a voice over the others. Someone talking into a microphone. When she came out on the other side of the people, she was at the edge of what everyone in the city just called The Plaza.

There were security barriers set up all around, and guards as well. The speech being held was a paid event, only because there wasn't much space and there was less likely to be a riot if you had to pay to get in. Meiriana looked around for some place to run, somewhere to hide. Normally she'd go under The Plaza's stage but that wasn't an option. She knew it was risky but she ran straight for the security barriers anyway.

She jumped over one them, knowing fully that she was going to get caught. It took every ounce of self-restraint she possessed not to scream when the security guard grabbed her from behind.

"Please don't toss me over back over the barrier," she begged quietly, "not until they're gone."

The security guard turned to toss her back over the barrier anyway, unsure what she meant by 'until they're gone.' He stopped when he noticed the people. They were suspiciously milling about near the shops at the edge of The Plaza. Occasionally they looked in the direction of the barriers, one of the five, he noticed was looking directly at her. "Well that's creepy," he said and turned back around.

'Could you put me down?" Meiriana asked. "I won't go anywhere, I promise. It's just my stomach hurts and you're holding pretty tight."

The guard thought about that. The small elf girl seemed trustworthy enough but he wasn't sure she wouldn't run into the crowd or on stage and cause a disturbance. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I can't be sure that you wouldn't run off and cause a problem."

Meiriana sighed and went limp in the guard's arms. _This was not her day._ She hated every minute of it but at least the guard didn't throw her to the wolves.

In front of them at the edge of the stage between the guards and the crowd, a girl of about Meiriana's age was pacing. Her name was Ella Cousland and she had a really bad feeling that something was going to go wrong. Not many people were as pro-elf as her father wanted them to be. She stopped when she noticed the guard holding a small elf who had obviously snuck in. This could prove interesting. She walked over to the guard and said, "Nice night for a speech."

The guard sighed. "Between you and this kid, young Cousland, I'm having a hard time actually guarding this event."

"Then put her down," Ella said with a smile. "I'm sure my friend didn't mean to cause any trouble."

The guard glanced between Ella and the people still watching and apparently waiting. He trusted his chances of handing her over to Ella being the right thing to do more than his chance that those creepy people weren't going to hurt the elf girl. "I'll put her down but if she causes problems-"

"I'll take full responsibility; she is my friend after all."

The guard gently lowered Meiriana down until her feet touched the ground then let her go. She stood there for a moment unsure what to do, then followed Ella as she walked back over to the edge of the stage.

"My name is Ella," Ella whispered.

"Mine's Meiriana," Meiriana replied.

Ella stared up at the stage for a moment then said, "Is it as bad for elves in the city as my father says?"

Meiriana listened for a moment only understanding about every fourth word or so because of a weird dead zone in the speaker's range. "I guess it depends."

"On?"

"On if you have a job or not. And what that job might be. It's better for some. Computer experts, technology repair. Elves in those fields have it best comparatively speaking because those skills are valued as not many can do them well. Elves that do things like housework, gardening, retail, anything in a restaurant that isn't cooking, have it okay, again comparatively speaking, it's certainly not good compared to humans in the same positions. We're not protected by the same minimum wage guidelines that humans are," Meiriana said. She glanced back at the people who were still watching and waiting and sighed.

Ella watched Meiriana glance back the way she had come from, and looked too. She noticed the people, they were extremely bad at looking like they belonged there, unless they were deliberately trying to be seen. Very creepy, either way.

"If you don't have a job it's pretty bad. You get harassed for not contributing. If... you live on the streets it's utterly terrible. Gangs roam the streets. They attack us. They harass, beat, sometimes rape or even kill. Elves go missing, no one ever sees them again. Slavers are at work in the city but no one sees. No one cares. Nothing can be done about it." Meiriana looked down, then moved forward and leaned on the edge of the stage. She knew she shouldn't have been running around with her leg injured like it was, but no one knew about the injury except herself and the people who made it in the first place. She looked at Ella, waiting, wondering what she would have to say to all that.

"And how is it for you?" Ella asked, though she had a sinking feeling she knew what the answer would be, and it wouldn't be a good one.

"It's terrible... but it could be worse. At the very least I go to school, because an old elf took pity on me when my mom vanished. I... have a friend." _I must sound pathetic_.

"Well now you have two friends," Ella said.

Meiriana didn't reply. She wasn't sure what to make of that. No one ever volunteered to be her friend before. Even with her only friend Leliana, Meiriana was the one to talk first. Though that was mostly because someone literally shoved her into Leliana. She closed her eyes for a moment and just listened to what Ella's father, at least that's who she assumed the man on stage was, was saying.

"Taking away what few rights the Elves have will only cause more problems than people are claiming it will solve! We should be helping the Elves! They are as much children of the Maker as we all are. There is nothing we can do that they can't. An Elven mage found the way to harness electricity that now powers ninety percent of your lives. Elves created the first computers. An Elf ended the Fifth blight. Your lives as they are would not be possible without Elves. Without Elves the world, or at the very least Ferelden, would have ended in 9:31 Dragon."

Meiriana smiled slightly, then winced in pain when that caused the cut on the inside of her lip to brush against her canines. It was unusual to hear a human speak the truth about Elven contributions. "They won't, most likely, listen to him. Most choose not believe Elves really did those things."

Ella stepped up beside Meiriana, blocking her from the glares of some of the closer audience members. "Some people, believe it or not, actually listen to and believe in the truth."

"Maybe, but that doesn't seem to change anything," Meiriana said with a sigh. "Why do you want to be my friend? You're more important than I'll ever be."

Ella shook her head. "I don't feel that important. Besides, you're important too, in your own way."

"You don't even know me," Meiriana said.

"You're smart, beautiful-" she noticed Meiriana wince slightly at that, but decided not to question it "-intriguing, and obviously care a great deal about this."

"This," Meiriana said, "Is my life. If I don't care about it, who would?"

Ella was about to respond when Meiriana held up a hand.

"Do you hear that?"

Ella listened but she didn't hear anything unusual. When she looked around though, she saw something unusual, the setting sun was glinting off of something a few inches above a nearby rooftop.

Meiriana jumped up on stage quickly. "Mr. Cousland!" she cried out as she ran across the stage. Just seconds before she knocked him down, a gunshot rang out. The bullet ripped through the podium, grazing Meiriana's shoulder as they fell but not harming Bryce Cousland at all.

"Dad!" Ella screamed and ran up on stage. "Meiriana! Dad!"

Bryce sat up, holding Meiriana to his chest with one hand putting pressure on the cut left by the grazing of the bullet. "I'm fine, pup."

"Someone get a medic!" Ella called to the security guards.

The audience was panicked; most were trying to flee in case more gunshots happened. Some were trying to get closer out of morbid curiosity. One person, a red-haired teen named Leliana, who was wearing a light pink dress, pushed her way through the crowd and nearly made it all the way to the stage before she was grabbed by a security guard who was just trying to keep people back so the police and medics could work without being harassed.

Ella was pacing around on stage when she heard the voice. She turned and looked. It was extremely odd to hear someone yelling in Orlesian in the city, but there she was. Who knew someone that small could threaten so much bodily harm. _Maybe I should do something?_ Ella thought.

"I know that voice! That's Leliana!" Meiriana tried to pull away from Bryce. "Lemme go! She needs me!"

Bryce shook his head. "Not until you see the medic."

"It's just a flesh wound!" Meiriana snapped. "Let me go! Please!" The only emotion in her eyes was fear and she was shaking. His right arm was wrapped around her, holding her, she didn't want that. She didn't. _Why? Why?_ "Let go." she whispered. "Let go, let go, let go."

Ella turned back toward them. "Dad, let her go. She's starting to panic."

Bryce nodded silently and took his arm off her waist but kept his other hand on her shoulder wound, trying to keep it from bleeding too much. He never meant to scare the girl.

 _Free. The pressure. Gone._ Meiriana trembled slightly but didn't move to leave. She knew the arm would return if she did. "Leliana," she whispered. "She's upset. I need her."

Ella turned back to the crowd. When she spotted the Orlesian still threatening to break multiple of the guard's body parts she nodded. That had to be Leliana. No one else was so insistent about getting past the guards. Ella headed over to them, at the very edge of the stage. "Hey, you." _Wow Ella so tactful_. "Are you Leliana?"

Leliana looked up then. She caught Ella's eyes. "Lui dire de me laisser aller," she said. [Tell him to let me go.]

"Let her go," Ella said to the security guard, who had also looked up when she spoke. "We need her up here."

The guard sighed but did not argue with Ella. He let Leliana go and moved to help other guards with holding other people back.

Leliana ran over to the stage and Ella pulled her up onto it.

"Merci," Leliana said. "Where's Meiriana? Est elle ici?" [Thank you...Is she here?]

"Elle est là. Elle a demandé après toi," Ella replied. [She's here. She asked for you.]

Leliana almost replied, then stopped. "You... speak Orlesian. You're the first person I've met here other than Revered Mother Emily that even understood me."

"My mom made me learn-diplomacy, being a lady, all that. I didn't like having to learn it, but it is useful and pretty at least. Anyway, Meiriana asked for you and she says you need her. She's right over here." She led Leliana over to Bryce and Meiriana.

Meiriana held up her right hand for Leliana. "You are real? I'm not seeing things?"

Leliana frowned at the barely healing cut on Meiriana's hand and replied, "I am real. What were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure I was thinking anything actually," Meiriana replied.

Leliana knelt down beside her. "What were you doing here?"

Meiriana thought about that. There was no way she could tell Leliana the truth, because there was no telling what Leliana's reaction would be to hearing about the slavers for the first time. "Elf rights are my rights," she said weakly.

Leliana shook her head. "S'il te plaît, ne me mens pas. I want the truth." [Please, do not lie to me]

Meiriana bit her lip. Bad idea with the cut inside but she ignored that pain. She shifted uncomfortably. If she had her way about any of this, she'd just curl up under the stage and go to sleep. Her shifting caused the makeshift bandage on her leg to come off, reopening the cut that had only just began to close. Worst possible day to wear shorts, she thought, as she heard Leliana gasp and ask what happened before pulling a bunch of tissues out of her bag and trying to stop the cut from bleeding. "Leliana..." she whispered. "Please forgive me."

Before Leliana could reply, the medics arrived. One of them asked Leliana to move and took over her spot, working on the cut herself.

Leliana stepped back with Ella and watched sadly for a moment. "What am I to forgive her for? She did nothing wrong."

Ella thought about this. "We need to know why she was really here. I have an idea. Since she got in by jumping a security barrier, the guard who caught her might have an idea why." Of course Ella had an idea herself, but Meiriana might have actually told the guard while Ella was just connecting information, like putting together a puzzle.

"Before we do that," Leliana said. "What's your name? You know mine, I'd like to know yours."

Ella chuckled. "Normally I'd be slightly insulted that someone didn't know me, but a beautiful foreigner like yourself warrants an exception. You probably haven't been in town long. I'm Ella Cousland, second child of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland."

Leliana nodded. "It's nice to formally meet you. Let's go see that guard."

Ella led Leliana over to the guard who was talking to the police.

When the officer finished asking questions of the guard, he pointed at Ella and Leliana. "I think they want to talk to you," he said, then walked away.

The guard turned to Ella and Leliana. "So you've returned, young Cousland. Is your friend alright? I saw what happened. Please tell me she's okay, but please also don't lie." His face and voice were soft, conveying his genuine concern for the small elf.

"Meiriana will be fine, the medics are looking over her as we speak," Ella said. "I need to ask you something. Did she tell you exactly why she jumped the barrier?"

"She was being chased by someone. Five someone's actually. She jumped the barrier and begged me not to throw her back until they were gone. They were over by the shops, watching it seemed, and waiting. They took off like a flock of disturbed birds when the gunshot went off," the guard said. "If they weren't so far away I might have been able to make out their faces but I did notice this, they were too well dressed to just be common street thugs. They were wearing pea coats; you know the double breasted kind that are common in Tevinter fashion? No street gang around here would wear those things. Not even if they had bought them at a thrift store."

Ella nodded, her theory was beginning to seem even more plausible. Which was very distressing since her theory was that Meiriana was being chased by the slavers she had mentioned. "Thank you, that's all we needed to know." She and Leliana walked away from the guard.

Leliana was quiet for a moment until she was sure they were out of hearing range of the guard. "Tout ce que je pensais que je savais qu'il était un mensonge," she said sadly. "I'm sure of it. She is lying to me. Elle essaie de me protéger. She's trying to protect everyone, but then, who is protecting her?" [1) Everything I thought I knew it was all a lie. 2) She is trying to protect me.]

Ella didn't respond for a while. It seemed to her like Meiriana was trying to hide all this, probably from more people than just Leliana. "Who can protect her?" she finally said. "Who would she let protect her?"

"No one," Leliana replied. "Elle est seule ou elle ne serait pas dans ce trouble." [She is alone or she would not be in this trouble.]

"She isn't alone though," Ella replied. "She has you. She called you her only friend."

"Why would she want me though? I'm just... one girl," Leliana replied. "She'd do better with you."

"You just met me, why would you think she'd ditch the person she called her one-very beautiful, might I add-friend for a girl she just met?" Ella said.

"Because I've been her friend for over a year and I had no idea. You... have been her friend for maybe half an hour, and you figured everything out. Je ne mérite pas l'amitié de quelqu'un comme elle," Leliana replied. [I do not deserve a friend like her. (lit. I do not deserve the friendship of someone like her.)]

"You do realise you threatened extensive bodily harm to a guard as he was holding you back, right? And from what I gathered, it was because of her. How can you say that?"

Leliana looked down. She hadn't realized Ella had heard her. "I couldn't protect her from them. I cannot protect her from the past." Not from hers, not from mine. What good am I if I cannot save her? "But... you think I can protect her from the future? From being hurt again?"

"Yes. You can't change the past, but what you can do is change the future. Yeah, I know it's a cliché. Well, what I'm trying to say is that of course you can protect her from the future." She moved to put a reassuring hand on Leliana's shoulder, then thought better of it. After all, she couldn't just touch people without asking for permission before, and added softly, "You may not be able to protect her from being hurt ever again, but if you can protect her from getting hurt even once - and, I sure hope, more than once, but that's not the point now -, then it'll all be worth it."

"It would be worth it, to see her smile again," Leliana said. "I think I know what must be done." She walked back up onto stage and over to Meiriana, who was sitting with Bryce and arguing with the medics.

"I don't want to go to the hospital," Meiriana said. "You can't make me."

"The mages there can help you much better than we have," one of the medics replied.

"You legally cannot make me go there," Meiriana argued.

"She's right," Bryce said. "She doesn't want to go; you can't make her. You'd be better off going and seeing if anyone else needs your help."

The medic sighed and walked away with their partner.

"Meiriana, can I ask what you were apologizing for?" Leliana asked.

"For everything. Please, just... forgive me," Meiriana replied.

"Only if you can forgive me for not figuring it out," Leliana replied. "I just... wanted so badly to believe you were happy."

"I am happy," Meiriana said. "With you."

"Then come home with me? Live with me. You don't have to keep lying to everyone. You don't have to live on the street anymore," Leliana said.

"Why would you want someone like me living with you? I'd just end up eating all your food," Meiriana said. "It's not like any place will actually give me a job. Oh wait, you have a computer don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Leliana said, confused.

"I can use it?" Meiriana asked.

"Of course," Leliana replied. "Will you come home with me?"

"Will you carry me there?"

Bryce and Ella exchanged a look. It was getting dark and neither of them felt like they should actually be listening to this. It seemed like something that should stay between Leliana and Meiriana.

"Meiriana," Leliana said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "You know I'm like small and not strong right?"

"I can do it," Ella said quickly.

Meiriana chuckled. "Well at least one of us is big and strong."

"I'm afraid I have to interrupt," a police officer standing a little ways off said. "I need to ask you a few questions."

Meiriana sighed. "Nothing's ever simple is it?"

The police officer walked up to them. "They're simple questions if that helps?"

"Just ask them, I'm too tired for this," Meiriana replied.

"Why did you run on stage?"

"I heard something. A clicking sound of sorts. It was out of place. I know no one else heard it. I have exceptionally good hearing, you can ask my school's nurse. I think it's a curse really. I hear way too much that I shouldn't," Meiriana said.

"I didn't hear anything," Ella said. "But I saw the light of the setting sun glinting off something on the roof of that building over there." She pointed at the building. She wasn't about to let the cop only question Meiriana on this.

"Two more questions. First, what were you doing here?" It was directed at Meiriana.

"It's my father's speech why wouldn't I be here?" Ella replied. That question was a terrible quest. Obviously the officer didn't seem to think an elf had any place being here.

"I'm an Elf. Elf rights are my rights," Meiriana replied, seriously unamused. "I know I'm not the only Elf who was here. I'm here with my friends. Ella invited me." She left off the 'to stay' part but this lie she was telling would not get her in any trouble, Ella would not throw her to the wolves, if she was going to she would have told the security guard to throw her back over the barrier.

The officer noted both responses. "What is your name and age?"

"I could argue that that's actually two questions, but I'm tired. Meiriana, M-e-i-r-i-a-n-a, Mahariel, M-a-h-a-r-i-e-l. And I'm 15."

The officer turned to Leliana. "And you?"

"I'm just a reporter for our high school newspaper. I'm here because I'm reporting on the speech. I'm here on stage right now because I can't decide if my best friend is stupidly brave or bravely stupid," Leliana said. "This means a lot to her so it means a lot to me. My name is Leliana and I'm 16 years old."

"Leliana? No surname?" the officer asked.

"Do you need it?" Leliana replied.

"Yes."

"Elric," Leliana replied. She saw no reason to need to give the officer one of her fake names. No, it wasn't likely anyone was actually looking for her.

"Leliana Elric?" the officer said skeptically.

"My mother was from Denerim, before we moved to Orlais," Leliana said.

The officer nodded, that made sense. "Now, I need to talk to Bryce, unless he'd prefer talking in private."

"One moment," Bryce said before standing up and putting a hand on Ella's shoulder. "Walk your friends home, pup. Don't let anything happen to them, they've been through enough." Then he turned to Leliana and held out his hand, "I'd be honored, young Elric, if you would consider letting my daughter stay the night at your place, since it's getting late. If you'd rather not, I understand and ask only that you let her stay until I can send her brother to pick her up."

"She can stay, monsieur. I don't mind, I actually like having friends over," Leliana replied, taking his hand briefly.

"Then is Ella going to carry me," Meiriana asked. "Cause I sort of, can't put weight on my leg very much. It hurts. Like a lot."

"I am," Ella said with a smile. She walked over and, with Leliana helping Meiriana up, picked her up piggyback style.

"Thank you," Meiriana whispered.

Ella nodded for Leliana to lead the way and they headed off.

"It's not far," Leliana said.

They walked together away from The Plaza. It was getting dark, though the city was always pretty well lit. Neither Ella nor Leliana were particularly bothered by the darkness, but Meiriana pressed herself closer to Ella. Night was when the monsters came out to play.

Ella blushed slightly when Meiriana pressed closer. Leliana noticed this and chuckled slightly.

"You're blushing," Leliana said.

"Am not," Ella protested blushing more.

"Yes, you are," Leliana teased.

"I just… she's really pretty and she trusts me even though I only met her like two hours ago. She let me call her friend, and she's letting me carry her. I'm a little concerned."

"She has good people skills," Leliana replied. "She probably can tell that you mean her no harm. She seems to just be able to tell if someone is good or not."

"That must come in handy," Ella said.

"If she's right," Leliana replied quietly.

Ella nodded, unsure if that meant Leliana didn't trust her or if Leliana was referring to herself.

"It's not much further," Leliana said. "Just around the corner." She was quiet the rest of the way. Basic hand gestures showing Ella where to go. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk or even that she'd ran out of things to say. She was thinking. Thinking that someone was following them.

She led Ella past her apartment building and into the Chantry next door. She was sure that whoever was following them wouldn't risk doing anything to them in a Chantry. Ella was confused but not as confused as Revered Mother Emily.

"Sister Leliana, it is good to see you again," Revered Mother Emily said. "You're not in some kind of trouble are you? You've come around so rarely since getting that apartment next door."

"It is good to see you too, Revered Mother. I am in no trouble, that honor belongs to one of my friends. Considering recent events, I believe it's Ella," Leliana said politely.

"You think I'm in trouble?" Ella asked gently putting Meiriana on one of the benches. Meiriana had fallen asleep a while ago. "Wait, Sister Leliana? You're a Chantry sister?"

"You _are_ in trouble, and no. I _used_ to be a Chantry sister," Leliana said. "I left the Chantry to attend school and explore what my greater purpose in life might be."

"What sort of trouble?" Revered Mother Emily asked.

"Being followed. I did not want to lead them to my apartment," Leliana replied. She walked over to the door and looked out one of the small windows next to it.

"Are they still there?" Revered Mother Emily asked.

"Yes. It's strange. I expected them to move on when we took shelter in the Chantry. Je pense qu'ils attendent de nous," Leliana replied. [I think they are waiting on us.]

"Should I fetch a Templar to help you three?"

"I'm not sure," Leliana said walking back over to Ella. "I don't know who these people are, why they are following us, or if they would attack someone in a Chantry."

"Is there a way to your apartment without being seen?" Ella asked.

Leliana shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. The side door only opens from the inside. We could go up the fire escape but I am not sure the windows will open from this side, they might be locked. And the roof access door has to be propped open in order for people to get in it, it doesn't have a handle on the outside."

"So we're here until whoever is out there decides to leave?" Ella asked.

"Je ne sais pas. C'était stupide de penser qu'ils quitteraient juste," Leliana replied. [I do not know. It was stupid to think they would just leave.]

"It wasn't stupid," Revered Mother Emily said. "You thought they would leave because more often than not that is what happens when people hide in the Chantry. Their pursuers leave."

"The Templars could help, at the very least distract them long enough for you to get into the building next door," Revered Mother Emily said.

"That sounds like a good idea. Warn them though that these men might be armed," Leliana said.

Revered Mother Emily nodded and went to get a couple Templars.

Ella was a little uneasy and paced for a moment. "Armed? You really think that?"

"Ella, someone tried to assassinate your father. Que quelqu'un qui doit être trouvé et fait à répondre de l'infraction. It is reasonable that they would come after you too, especially when they failed," Leliana said. [That someone must be found and made to answer for the crime.]

Ella nodded. That did make sense. She stopped for a moment and knelt down beside Meiriana. "I never meant to put her in danger by letting her into the speech. I thought... I was getting her out of trouble."

Leliana walked over and put a hand on Ella's shoulder gently. "You couldn't have known this would happen. You did get her out of trouble. Out of much trouble. Away from slavers. She saved your father's life, no? You did the right thing. Your father did the right thing trusting me with… letting you stay the night. You will still be alive and very safe in the morning. As will he and the rest of your family. You are in capable hands."

"Why does it seem like you're trying to convince yourself more than me?" Ella sighed. "I understand and appreciate your words, Leliana. And I trust that you are right."

Leliana nodded. There were things she could say, truths she could share that would either reassure Ella or send her running back home. She wasn't going to test and see which would happen. Not when the danger of one outcome was so apparent. "Trust that I will not let anyone hurt you. I'm not going to let anyone get hurt if I can do something to prevent it. Not again."

Ella nodded. "I trust you."

Before Leliana could say anything else Revered Mother Emily returned with three Templars.

"These three will distract and hopefully chase off the people outside," she said. "Please be safe, my children. May the Maker watch over you."

"And you as well," Leliana replied.

Ella gently picked up Meiriana and carried her bridal style over to the door where she and Leliana waited until the Templars left and distracted the people.

"Now," Leliana whispered slipping out. "Stick to the building, the shadows."

Ella wasn't about to not do what Leliana said and they made it, without incident, into Leliana's apartment building. They got into the elevator and Leliana sent it to her floor (6), the third floor, the seventh floor and two other higher floors.

Ella raised an eyebrow. "So which one are we actually getting off at?"

"Six. The others are in case they followed us into the building somehow. They won't know which floor we actually got off on."

Ella nodded. When they got into Leliana's apartment—apartment number 684—Ella laid Meiriana on Leliana's couch gently.

"Possibly rude question," Ella said, "but I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

"How is that possibly rude?" Leliana replied. "There's pizza in the fridge. Help yourself." She smiled as Ella walked away and took her bag off her shoulder. Her notepad and phone were still sitting inside it right on top where she had hastily shoved them when she saw Meiriana run up onto the stage. She took a deep breath and let it out, considering all the things she'd learned. Some of them led to some pretty terrible revelations about why Meiriana did some of the things that she did, particularly the sitting on her coat in class sometimes, and the limping.

 _Maker,_ she thought, _I can't believe the things I've learned and seen. I hope my teacher doesn't think I'm making things up when I write this article._


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:

French translations are in brackets [like these]

* * *

Ella nodded and walked over to the fridge. She hesitated before opening it. "Are you sure it's okay if I have some?"

Leliana looked up from her bag for a moment before setting it on the coffee table. "You ask that like you expect my parents to get mad or something, like this isn't my apartment. I wouldn't bring you here and _not_ feed you." She walked over to the fridge, opening it and passing Ella the pizza box. After that she paused a moment, thinking about everything and almost instinctively reaching for the bottle of wine that she kept in the door.

Ella sat the pizza box on the counter and caught Leliana's hand before she could pull the wine bottle completely out of the fridge. "I don't even want to know how a 16-year-old got wine, but considering everything that's happened and been revealed today, that is not a smart idea."

Leliana looked at the bottle and Ella's hand on her own. "Everything that happened," she whispered, "is why I pulled it out."

Ella shook her head. "There are better ways. Put it back. Let's just talk and eat pizza."

Leliana hesitated for a moment then said, "Would you be open to the possibility of maybe kissing me?"

"Wow," Ella said. "Direct aren't we?"

Leliana sighed slightly, but put the wine back in the fridge and closed the door. She leaned heavily on it for a moment, thinking. _Ella must think I'm really stupid or something._

"I just want to know one thing first," Ella said. "Why do you want to kiss me? You know I'm older than you, right?"

Leliana didn't look up when she replied, "How much older?"

"Only a year. But that's still older," Ella said.

"I just thought… you might. I… want to feel happy again," Leliana said. If she couldn't drown her sadness and guilt over her realization of what happened to Meiriana with wine, then she wanted to chase it away with something happy. Had she been slightly less upset, she would have stopped to consider how this must look to Ella.

Ella nodded. "Are you sure this is what you want? A kiss? Anything more?"

"If it led to more," Leliana said. "I'd be sure to tell you when to stop."

Ella nodded, confident in only two things: how incredibly gay she was and that Leliana would indeed tell her when to stop. She lifted Leliana's face slightly by the chin and leaned down, closing the distance between them and kissing her roughly, without thought, but also taking care to watch for the sign Leliana would give when she wanted to stop.

She didn't give it, kissing Ella back and, when she felt an arm hugging her around her waist, wrapped her own arms around the taller woman's neck. There was _something_ off with the way Ella was touching her, not something unpleasant, no, but something about the kiss itself, or, better, about the person she was kissing. It was _way too perfect_ , almost as if Ella was going through some sort of invisible checklist, mechanically going through one item and then the other, all in succession.

She moved from Leliana's mouth to her neck, kissing down it without much care, even nipping slightly on occasion until she reached the crook of her neck and Leliana breathed out a husky "Stop, please?"

She pulled back then. Leliana had promised to tell her when she wanted to stop, that promise came with the unsaid promise by Ella that she would indeed stop when asked. Ella waited for a second, expecting Leliana to walk away then and say nothing more of it, but what Leliana did shocked her. Leliana pulled her back, into a gentle hug.

"Thank you," Leliana whispered, the ghost of a smile on her face. "Now, are we going to eat or are we just going to let the pizza sit there?"

Ella was at a loss for words. It didn't make sense to her. "We'll eat," she finally managed to say after nearly a full minute.

Leliana picked up the pizza box, keenly aware that she had done something that seemed to shake Ella to the very core of her person, but she was unsure what part it was exactly. She led Ella over to the little table she had set up between the kitchen and living room parts of her apartment. She put the box on the table then sat down.

Ella followed, unusually quiet. They ate pizza quietly, neither quite sure what to say.

After a while, Leliana turned to watch Meiriana sleep. "Her eyelashes flutter like a butterfly when she sleeps," she commented.

Ella nodded. "She's really cute."

Leliana nodded as well then yawned. "Are you tired?"

Ella thought about that. Sleep might help her and with luck, Leliana might still want her around come morning. "A bit. I can sleep on the floor if you have a pillow I could use."

Leliana frowned slightly. Sleeping on the floor was a terrible idea, she hadn't vacuumed in over a week, it was dirty. "I was thinking you could share my bed with me, actually."

"Oh, okay," Ella said before she could stop herself. She should have seen this coming. It always came down to that.

Leliana smiled, unaware of how Ella had misperceived her words, and carried the leftover pizza back to the fridge before motioning for Ella to follow. Ella followed almost mechanically. Leliana turned the lights off in the kitchen and living room, then led Ella down the hallway to the bathroom. "I have a spare toothbrush you can use. Do you prefer showering in the morning or at night?"

"In the morning," Ella replied. This was all very unusual for her. Normally, the people who invited her to bed didn't care much about her personal hygiene. They just assumed she kept it good. More than once while brushing her teeth she caught herself throwing quick glances at Leliana, trying to figure out if her motives were really what her brain suggested they were.

When they finished and walked together across the hall to Leliana's room, Ella could practically feel what she thought was going to happen. It happened enough.

Leliana had Ella sit on the edge of the bed for a moment, as she searched through her drawers. She pulled out two very oversized shirts, designed for sleeping. "Here," she said quietly and tossed Ella the one with a cartoon Mabari on it. "That falls well past my knees. It won't be as big on you but it would be comfortable."

Now Ella was even more confused than before, but she didn't question it. At least not out loud. _Since when did this involve clothes at all? Was it an Orlesian thing? Was it a Leliana thing? It usually involves removing clothes, not changing them._

To Ella's ever increasing confusion, Leliana didn't watch as she changed into the sleep-shirt. Instead Leliana turned around and changed into her own one which had a cartoon nug on it.

Leliana smiled and walked over to the bed. She crawled up onto it beside Ella then after getting Ella to lie down, pulled the blanket over them and cuddled up to Ella. Her head was resting gently on Ella's chest and an arm was draped over Ella's waist. She thought it was a rather comfortable position.

Ella, however, was tense. It made no sense. "You're cuddling?" she blurted out. Leliana didn't have a chance to reply before she continued. "Why cuddling? You aren't trying anything. Why not? You know you could, right?"

Leliana propped herself up for a moment. "You're my friend. Firstly, you never consented to anything more than the stuff in the kitchen. Secondly, I don't want sex, I want cuddles and sleep. I invited you to share my bed because I haven't vacuumed in over a week and I don't want you sleeping on a dirty floor. Thirdly, please talk to me. What's bothering you? Tell me what you want. I told you what I want, let me give you the honor of doing the same."

Ella bit her lip. Leliana seemed to care. She actually seemed to care. She could hear, and feel, it on Leliana's voice, in her words. She stared at Leliana for a moment, unsure what to say, afraid she might be misunderstanding her intentions again. After a moment she decided to say, "It's not important."

Leliana frowned. "It _is_ important. If it's important enough that it bothers you, then it is important. Ella, please. Your happiness in this is just as important as mine. Please don't ever listen to anyone, not even yourself, who tells you otherwise."

Ella bit her lip again. "Please just stay? Stay with me? I don't want you to leave." She considered adding 'like all the others' to the end of that but she couldn't. She didn't want Leliana worrying more about her.

Leliana nodded, feeling there was more to that statement but not pushing it. If that was all Ella was ready to say, it was all she needed to hear. She cuddled closer to Ella, putting her head on her chest again. "The only way I'm leaving is if I have to use the bathroom, but I'd come right back."

Ella put an arm around Leliana not quite sure she really believed this was happening.

Leliana sighed contentedly and smiled. There was really only one more thing she could think to do. Share something with Ella that she hadn't shared with anyone in a while. " _Spend all your time waiting,_ " she sang quietly. " _For that second chance. For a break that would make it all okay._ "

Ella listened without words, without movement. Leliana had an _amazing_ voice.

" _There's always some reason. To feel not good enough. And it's hard, at the end of the day. I need some distraction. Oh, beautiful release. Memories seep from my veins. And maybe empty. Oh, and weightless, and maybe I'll find some peace tonight. In the arms of an angel. Fly away from here—_ " her singing was interrupted by a yawn and she smiled sheepishly at Ella.

"Sleep," Ella whispered. "That was beautiful, but sleep."

Leliana smiled more and nodded, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. It was honestly the happiest she had been falling asleep in months.

Ella stayed up a while longer, just listening to the sound of Leliana breathing and enjoying the feeling of just cuddling with a beautiful, and kind woman. Sad that it wasn't a feeling she got to experience very often. After a while she fell asleep too.

In the morning they woke to a really loud scream.

Leliana fell out of bed. "Meiriana!"

Ella jumped out of bed too and they both ran to see what was going on. Meiriana was standing in the kitchen with a bowl in her left hand, staring at a spilled box of cereal on the counter with tears in her eyes. On top of the box was a small spider only about 3 centimeters across.

Ella backed away from the spider shaking her head. "Nope. No. I do not do spiders. No way. Nope."

Leliana looked between the two. She'd never been scared of spiders and couldn't really understand the fear. She walked over to the counter, got a paper towel and then squished the spider in it (not the intended result, she'd planned on picking up the spider and tossing it out the window).

When that was done she stepped up to Meiriana and kissed the top of her head. "The spider is dead now."

Meiriana nodded fearfully. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Leliana replied.

Ella walked over to them. "That was really brave."

Leliana chuckled. "All I did was kill the spider."

Ella shook her head. "You killed the spider, with no hesitation!"

Meiriana picked up the box of cereal. "I'm sorry I made a mess and woke you up."

Leliana smiled softy. "It's okay. Ella and I needed to wake up anyway. Right, Ella?"

"You killed the spider," Ella said again as though she couldn't understand how someone could be so unafraid of spiders that they could just kill one with no hesitation.

"Right," Leliana said. "Anyway, it's okay. I needed to wake up. I don't have milk for that cereal."

Meiriana stopped before she poured any of the cereal in the bowl. "You need milk for cereal?"

"Not technically," Leliana replied. "But it does taste better."

"There's only pizza and wine in your fridge," Meiriana commented.

Ella got over her admiration of Leliana's spider killing powers pretty quickly at that comment. "How are you alive right now?" she asked Leliana.

Leliana shrugged. "Determination, pizza, tap water, and food from the school cafeteria. It's not really ideal, but it's the best I can do when most of the money from my job goes to paying the rent and other bills. This place isn't cheap. It's got two bedrooms, though I use one of them as a sort of library and the dining room is being used as an office."

"Let me take you shopping," Ella said.

Meiriana turned around quickly. "Take me shopping. I've never been shopping before."

"Wait," Leliana said. "Never been shopping? Grocery shopping, clothes shopping? What kind of shopping are you talking about?"

Meiriana shrugged. "Any kind." She put her bowl on the counter. "Two things stop me. Money and security guards. I have no money and security guards would follow me. Honestly I get followed enough."

"I need to call my parents," Ella said.

"You do that," Leliana said with a smile. "Meiriana needs a shower."

"No," Meiriana protested. "I'm not supposed to get my stitches wet for 48 hours."

Leliana nodded and pulled her gently toward the bathroom. "Then we'll just have to get you clean without a shower. It _is_ possible."

Ella sat on the couch and pulled out her phone. It was only nine am. _Are my parents even going to be awake?_ She shook her head and dialed the number. The only way to know was to try.

"Hello, pup," Bryce said on the other end.

"Hi, dad. Is mom with you?" Ella asked.

"She is. Did you want to talk to her instead of me?" Bryce asked pretending to sound hurt.

"Actually I have something to ask _both_ of you. Can you put it on speaker first?"

After a second, Eleanor's voice came through. "If you want us to come pick you up, you'll have to give us some time…and an address."

"No mom, I'm fine here. This is actually about my new friends, Meiriana and Leliana."

"New friends?" Eleanor asked.

"Meiriana? Isn't that the little Elf girl who saved my life last night?" Bryce asked at the same time.

"Yes, to both. I want to take them shopping and buy them things."

"Not trying to buy their friendship, I hope?" Eleanor said.

"No, mom. They just need something good to happen to them for once. Plus, all they have to eat here is cereal and leftover pizza. They don't even have milk for the cereal."

"Cereal with no milk. Truly scandalous. You're going to help them remedy that I hope? I wouldn't want your friends going hungry," Eleanor said.

"I want to, yes. The other thing is, Meiriana's always lived on the streets before now. She's never been shopping before and likely doesn't have anything other than some clothes and school supplies to her name. Leliana told me most of the money she makes from her job goes to rent and other bills. I want to help them both, whatever way I can."

"I think it's an excellent idea," Bryce said. "Buy them whatever you want to buy them. Especially if you're thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of, it's probably the best thing that could happen to them. It's also the least we can offer Meiriana to thank her for saving my life."

 _And thank Leliana for saving mine,_ Ella thought, remembering the Chantry. "Anything I want?"

"Try to avoid attempting to buy full companies or countries," Bryce said. "But yes. Anything."

"We trust you darling," Eleanor said.

"You'll do what's right by yourself. That's all anyone could really ask for," Bryce asked.

"Were you asking for permission or did you leave your wallet at home?" Eleanor asked.

"Permission mostly," Ella said. "And I kind of just wanted to hear your voices."

"We love you," Eleanor said.

"We really do, pup," Bryce said. "We have to go now, breakfast time and all that. Plus, we promised Fergus we'd look after Oren today, when they get back from shopping."

"Tell Oren that Auntie Ella says hi," Ella said. "I love you both so much. Talk to you later."

"Have fun."

Ella leaned back on the couch when she ended the call. _I wonder if it would be too weird if I bought this apartment for Leliana. So she could use the rent money for food. Maybe it would be weird but I want to help them and this would be the biggest help to them, even Dad agrees._

"My hair is fine without ribbons. It's too short for ribbons! Where did you even get those?" Meiriana's voice broke through Ella's thoughts causing her to smile.

A few minutes later Leliana and Meiriana walked back into the room. Meiriana was significantly more clean than she had been before.

"Verdict?" Leliana asked. "Elle est belle, n'est-ce pas?" [She is beautiful, isn't she?]

Ella smiled and nodded. "Elle est très belle." [She is very beautiful.]

"Nous sommes très chanceux de la connaître," Leliana replied. [We are very lucky to know her.]

"I am right here," Meiriana protested. "And I have no idea what either of you are saying."

"We're calling you beautiful," Ella replied.

Meiriana shook her head. "No!" she snapped. "Please don't. Don't call me that. Please! Please."

Ella and Leliana shared a look then said together, "Why not?"

"Just don't. Please," Meiriana said tears forming in her eyes. "Please. That's what _they_ call me."

"That's what…" Ella started then stopped. "What would you rather we call you?"

"Anything but that," Meiriana replied. " _Please_ , anything but that. I trust you, please. Please don't."

Leliana started to reach out to Meiriana but stopped. "Mon ami," she said quietly. "You are very pretty."

"Pretty is good," Meiriana said trying to keep herself from crying. "Pretty is good."

"What about adorable?" Ella asked.

"That's good too," Meiriana replied.

"Cute," Leliana said with a smile.

"Lovely," Ella added.

Meiriana smiled. "Now you're just trying to make me smile aren't you?"

"Is it so bad if we are?" Leliana replied. "Your smile is the best thing I've ever seen."

"You have the light of a hundred stars in that smile," Ella replied.

Meiriana chuckled. "Okay, okay. Are we going shopping? Ella… Leliana… neither of you are wearing pants."

Leliana laughed. "No, I don't suppose we are. We should fix that."

"Can I keep the shirt?" Ella asked.

Leliana chuckled. "You like Mabaris that much?"

"Can I wear one of your shirts Leliana?" Meiriana asked quietly. "I only have three others and a jacket and they're all in my locker at school."

"So _that's_ why you keep borrowing my clothes even though they're too big for you."

"Well that and they smell like you," Meiriana replied.

Leliana blushed. "Right, let's go see if I have any clothes for you. We can get you more while we're out. Right, Ella?"

Ella nodded and stood up, then walked over to Leliana with a slight smirk on her face. She leaned over and whispered in Leliana's ear, "You're blushing."

Leliana just blushed more and headed off to her bedroom.

Meiriana stared after her for a moment. "Do you think she knows how pretty she is when she goes all red—" Meiriana motioned to her face to indicate she meant 'when she blushes'. "Sometimes it nearly matches her hair."

Ella laughed. "Somehow I don't think she does know how pretty she is." Ella bowed slightly and motioned down the hall. "After you."

Meiriana smiled and headed toward the bedroom. "What about you?"

"About me?" Ella asked.

"Do you know how pretty you are?" Meiriana asked.

Ella blushed slightly and replied, "Do you?"

"I do know how pretty you are," Meiriana said.

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh, do I know how pretty I am?" Meiriana shook her head. "You and Leliana called me pretty, but I'm not sure I believe you."

"You don't believe us?" Ella asked.

"I'm not sure," Meiriana replied.

"Why don't you believe us?" Ella asked.

"I'm an Elf," Meiriana said, as though that automatically ruled out the possibility of her _actually_ being pretty.

Ella stopped walking. "Meiriana, being an Elf doesn't mean you can't be pretty."

"That's not what everyone else says," Meiriana replied.

"Well, 'everyone else' is lying to you," Ella replied. "You're the most prettiest girl ever and being an Elf doesn't make that any less true."

"You're just a flatterer," Meiriana said. "You can't actually believe that."

"Meiriana. I _do_ believe it. You are extremely pretty. Nothing is going to change that. Everything about you is pretty," Ella said.

Meiriana shook her head slightly. "I am not pretty."

"You are though," Ella argued. "Very pretty."

"How?" Meiriana argued. "How am I pretty? I'm an _Elf_. I'm short and my hair is a mess even when Leliana brushes it. My eyes aren't even and they're so dark that half the time I'm not sure they even have a color. I am _not_ pretty."

"Your hair is lovely," Ella replied. "I wish I could have hair that fluffy. Your eyes are the night sky and contain within them the twinkling of a thousand galaxies. No one is perfect, they become perfect when you learn to accept them for who they are, flaws and all. Meiriana, you are lovely. I have never seen a girl quite as pretty as you are."

Meiriana started to reply and stopped. She just shook her head. "I don't believe that you've never seen a girl as pretty as me. You've seen Leliana and I'm sure you own a mirror."

"I don't need a mirror because I can see myself in your life, in the future." Ella mentally face palmed. That was terrible.

"Just don't expect me to be doing anything more than cuddling," Meiriana replied. "Cuddles are nice. Sometimes Leliana lets me cuddle with her if it's too cold for me to sleep on the couch. That is, I mean if she lets me stay over when it's snowing or raining outside."

"Wait what," Ella said.

"I don't do the whole…" Meiriana stopped. "You were flirting. So I flirted back. Is… that not how it works?"

"I don't… I mean… You want cuddling?" Ella stammered.

"Of course," Meiriana replied. "There's nothing warmer than bring next to someone, sharing in the warmth of their body, having them hold you close or holding them close. Listening to the sound of their breathing, feeling their heartbeat. There's nothing in the world that can quite match the feeling of cuddling with someone."

Ella tried to come up with a response but her mind couldn't. She just couldn't comprehend what was going on here with Leliana and Meiriana. Neither of them… they both just wanted, her? But not in _that_ way? It didn't make sense to her. At all.

"Ella, are you okay? I didn't say something wrong, did I?" Meiriana asked, gently reaching out and taking Ella's hand.

Ella tensed up when Meiriana took her hand, but otherwise she did nothing.

"Ella, Ellie… pup, please talk to me," Meiriana said.

Ella shook her head.

"Ella Cousland. Talk to me. What is wrong?" Meiriana said.

"I don't understand why you two don't just want to use me. I don't understand," Ella said. "I don't understand and it scares me."

"Ella, sit please," Meiriana said gently. "Please."

Ella nodded slightly, feeling a few tears on her cheeks. _How did I let this happen? Why did I tell her? What does she want from me?_

Once Ella was sitting on the floor in front of Meiriana, Meiriana let go of her hand. "I will be right back." Then she walked into the bathroom for a moment and came back out with a hand mirror. "Take this."

Ella did as she was told. "I don't understand."

"What do you see?" Meiriana asked.

"It's a mirror," Ella replied.

" _In the mirror._ What do you see?"

Ella stared at the mirror for a moment. All she could see was herself. "It's a mirror, what do you think I see? I see my reflection."

"You see your reflection. You _have_ a reflection, conclusion you're not a vampire," Meiriana said. "You have eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose, hair, a voice, thoughts, feelings, a heartbeat… what do these things make you?"

"Alive?" Ella asked.

"Alive," Meiriana replied. "Alive. You are alive. You have thoughts and feelings. Conclusion you're not a tool, you're not an object. You're _not_ just something to be used and tossed away. You are _someone._ You are my _friend_. You matter."

Ella opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again without a word. _It can't… I can't. that's not… it's wrong? That's… I don't understand. I… but I… why? What… I don't… understand._ She stared at her reflection and focused on different things she saw in it. The pain in her eyes, and the tears there that she willed not to fall. She focused on her breathing and her heartbeat. On the feeling of the floor underneath her. _I don't understand. But she's right? A tool… can't feel things. A tool… an object… wouldn't be confused? Is she right? Am I something more?_

Meiriana sat there with Ella. Leliana came to find out what was taking them so long, but when she heard what little of the conversation she did, she decided not to interrupt and instead went back to her room to continue sorting out some clothes for Meiriana.

"Ella," Meiriana said after a while.

Ella looked up from the mirror.

"Spend more time with us, I promise that while you might not begin to believe the words I said, you will see at the very least that _we_ believe them."

Ella stared at her for a moment before replying. "Why do you trust me that much?"

"Knowing that you are a person not an object has nothing to do with trust," Meiriana replied. "But if you must know about trust, it's because you looked at me in the arms of a security guard, knew that I'd obviously jumped the barrier—which I'm pretty sure is illegal—and said 'she's my friend' not 'toss her back over already' or 'give her to the police for trespassing.' You treated me like an equal. I just… have a good feeling about you."

Ella thought about this, she wasn't sure how to respond though, so she just nodded.

"Now," Meiriana said. "Come, we shouldn't keep Leliana waiting. She probably can't wait to figure out what kind of clothes I'll let her put me in."

Ella nodded and stood up.

"Oh and Ella," Meiriana said, "Don't worry. I won't tell Leliana anything you told me."

Ella smiled slightly, though she still didn't quite understand why Meiriana was being so nice to her. "Thanks."

"No problem," Meiriana said with a smile.

They walked into the bedroom together and saw that Leliana had laid out several shirts on the bed.

"Leliana," Meiriana said. "You do know I can wear at most two shirts at a time, right?"

"Of course," Leliana replied. "But we need to decide which shirt or shirts you will wear."

"Exciting," Meiriana said. "Let's see them then." She walked over to the bed to look at the shirts while Ella picked up the clothes she'd worn yesterday and put her jeans back on.

"I am not wearing yellow," Meiriana said, poking a couple of the shirts. "Aren't there better colors?"

"For someone borrowing clothes, you're pretty picky. No flowers, no yellow," Leliana said folding up the shirts that Meiriana didn't want to wear. "What do you want?"

"Remember the sweater I borrowed from you?" Meiriana asked.

"The green one with the Halla? Meiri, it's entirely too hot outside to wear a sweater," Leliana replied.

"But it's not hot inside the stores," Ella commented. "Let her bring the sweater."

"I will wear this shirt," Meiriana said holding up a light blue shirt with a glittery purple butterfly on it. "Let me bring the sweater, please."

"Okay, you can bring the sweater," Leliana said folding up the rest of the shirts to put them back in the dresser. "Ella, I might have some shirts that would fit you too if you want."

"I'm good. I'm rather fond of this little Mabari," Ella said with a smile.

Leliana stared at her skeptically for a moment. "You don't mind wearing pajamas in public?"

"The paparazzi ignore when I do unusual things now because I do so many 'unusual' things. They'll probably be more shocked if I do something 'normal' now. Besides, it just looks like an oversized shirt. No one will know," Ella said.

"Oh, well, if you're sure," Leliana said.

"I am," Ella said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure the paparazzi will find something to talk about."

"Probably me," Meiriana said.

"I'll kick them if they do," Ella replied. "Nobody is going to talk about my friends."

Meiriana grinned, though only for a second before she winced in pain at how that stretched the cut inside her lip. "Big, strong, and protective. Ella is a human Mabari."

Ella laughed at that. "A human Mabari?"

"Leliana is a Nightingale," Meiriana said.

"And you? If we're all an animal what are you?" Ella asked.

Meiriana shrugged. "You can't pick your own animal, someone has to tell you what it is."

"How did you decide that Leliana is a Nightingale?" Ella asked.

"She sings like a pretty songbird," Meiriana replied happily.

Leliana shrugged. "I've wondered why she called me Nightingale. Now we know."

"Meiriana, you should probably get dressed soon. We should leave before the food places stop serving breakfast," Ella said.

"Don't we have school today?" Meiriana asked.

"It's Saturday," Leliana replied changing into her own outfit for the day.

"Oh well, in that case," Meiriana said. "I should get dressed."

"Let me help you, Meiri," Leliana said walking over. "You wouldn't want to mess up your stitches, and I'd like to make sure the bandages on your back are staying."

Meiriana smiled. "That's a good idea."

Leliana helped Meiriana get her shirt off then checked the bandages and ran her fingers gently over one of the many scars on Meiriana's back. "I've always wondered where you kept getting these from. Are the ones on the other side related?"

Meiriana nodded. "It's stupid. I should have learned the first few times." She paused for a moment. "I suppose you probably know at this point."

"The slavers?" Leliana mused as she helped Meiriana into the shirt she was going to wear.

Meiriana nodded again. "Yeah. They're not exactly nice."

Ella was silent through this. She wanted to say something, but at the same time she didn't want to do anything foolish. After all, she had just met them yesterday.

"It's okay though," Meiriana said. "They wouldn't risk hurting me when Ella is around."

"Why not?" Leliana mused.

"… I'm not sure actually, I just have a feeling. Maybe Ella knows why?" Meiriana said smiling up at Ella. "Do you?"

"I'd defend you with my life." Ella blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. _I did not just say that. Stop with the weird feeling things, Ella. Maybe I can recover and make a joke?_ "Ah, wait I mean, maybe because I'm tall and strong?" she added more lightheartedly.

"I thought it might be because you're a Cousland," Meiriana said. "Those other things just make you more awesome."

"Ah, right. Yeah, people generally don't mess with the Couslands. Especially me," Ella said. _Did she even realize that's not something friends say to each other?_

"So how are we getting to places?" Meiriana asked. "Do you have a car? Are we gonna walk? I know how to convince the bus driver to let me ride for free. I don't think that would work for you two though."

"I was thinking we could walk," Ella said. "Though if you prefer the bus, I don't see why we couldn't take the bus."

"How much stuff are we going to get?" Leliana asked. "It might be better if we had a car. Don't want to take up too much space on the bus, that's rude."

"Let's buy a wagon!" Meiriana said. "You can pull me around in it. And we can use it to bring the stuff home."

"If we tied a dog to the front, we wouldn't even have to pull it," Ella said. "I know where to find one of those."

"A dog?" Leliana asked trying to find shoes that Meiriana could wear. She knew she had a pair but they were proving to be elusive.

"A wagon, but a dog too. I have a dog at my house. His name is Maric," Ella said.

Leliana smiled when she found the shoes. "Perfect. We can leave whenever you're ready," She said as she handed the shoes to Meiriana and put on her own shoes.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes:

As I've (now) said on the other two chapters (please read the detailed note at the beginning of the work if you haven't already)

French translations are in brackets [like these]

* * *

Meiriana struggled with the shoes for a moment before pushing them off the bed. "I don't like shoes. I don't want to wear them."

Leliana sighed slightly. "Shoes protect your feet."

"My feet don't need protecting," Meiriana replied.

Ella picked the shoes up off the floor. "Let me help with this," she said. "Your feet do need protecting, it'd be terrible for them to get cut on something while you're walking because then you wouldn't be able to walk again for a while. Plus, the stores won't let you in if you don't have shoes on. Though the shoes might feel better if you put some socks on."

"I don't need them," Meiriana replied again.

"You do need them," Ella said gently. "Don't you wear shoes at school?"

Meiriana nodded. "Not these shoes. My shoes."

"Your shoes are not shoes," Leliana said. "They're sandals, and the strap is broken."

"I fixed it," Meiriana said defensively. "With glue."

"Then why are they still broken?" Leliana asked.

Meiriana just shrugged and shook her head as she watched Ella stand up and walk over to the closet to look at the shoes.

"Maybe you could wear these instead?" Ella asked holding up a pair of flip-flops.

Leliana turned and looked to see which shoes Ella was holding. "Maybe that would be a good idea."

"Okay," Meiriana said with a small nod.

After she put the flip-flops on, she smiled and stood up. "Let's go."

"Hold on," Ella said, searching her pockets for something. She seemed to find it and showed a little box to Leliana and Meiriana. "Do you know where I can go for a smoke?"

Leliana nodded. "There's a smoking area out by the front entrance."

"Just not near me," Meiriana said. "I accidently left my inhaler in my locker at school."

Ella grinned. "Of course. I'll be right back."

Leliana nodded and smiled. "We'll meet you down there in ten minutes, okay?"

"Sounds perfect!" Came the response, its speaker already halfway out of the room.

Meiriana waited until Ella was gone then looked at Leliana. "So... can we keep her?"

Leliana chuckled. "She's a person, Meiri, not a puppy. I think whether or not she stays is her choice." When Meiriana's response was just simply pouting, Leliana sighed and added, "Of course, we can try to keep her as our friend. You'd like that, no?"

"I'd love it!" Meiriana exclaimed.

Ten minutes later, she and Leliana headed down to the main entrance. When they got on the elevator to head down, someone else got on with them. That person was dressed in a loose fitting white button-up shirt, with quite a few buttons _not_ buttoned; black pants; slightly darker black knee high boots; and a blue headscarf; as well as several pieces of gold jewelry.

"Hi, doll," the person said happily to Leliana.

"Leli it's a pirate!" Meiriana replied.

Leliana and the person chuckled. "That's Isabela, Meiri. She lives across the hall from us. Hi, Bela."

"Why are you dressed like a pirate?" Meiriana asked.

Isabela laughed. "Piracy is fashionable."

Meiriana smiled and her eyes lit up a little. "Leli, I want a pirate costume!"

Leliana and Isabela both chuckled at that. "Okay, Meiri, we'll get you a pirate costume."

When they got off the elevator on the ground floor, they all walked together to the door. Meiriana walked slightly ahead while Leliana explained to Isabela that Meiriana was going to move in with her.

"Sounds like you've got your hands full, doll," Isabela replied. "Good luck with that. She seems like a nice girl."

Leliana smiled. "Thanks, Bela. See you later?"

"Possibly," Isabela replied as she headed off in a different direction after they left the building.

"Ella!" Meiriana called chipperly. "I'm gonna be a pirate."

Ella saluted. "Aye aye, captain! What are your orders?"

"I'd like a hug, sailor!" Meiriana replied. "Or a puppy?"

"Both can and will be done, captain!" Ella said, still saluting.

Meiriana giggled. "You can stop saluting if you want."

Ella smiled and put her hand down. "Well, since my captain allowed it…" She trailed off, her smile turning into a grin. "But I heard something about a hug?"

"You'd actually give me a hug?" Meiriana asked.

"Of course I would." Ella said simply, but then seemed to have a particularly important thought and added, fast, " Unless you want me to not do it."

Meiriana started to answer, then stopped. She wasn't actually sure if she really wanted a hug or just wanted to see if Ella _would_ hug. Before she could come up with an actual answer her stomach growled and she giggled. "I think I want food more than a hug."

Leliana had been watching from a little ways back before she walked up. "Perhaps we should get you something to eat, no?"

Meirana smiled. "Maybe. What do you think, Ella?"

"I think she has important priorities," Ella laughed, "I mean, let's do it."

"Okay," Meiriana said. "Where do people get breakfast if not in their house?"

Leliana opened her mouth to reply then decided that 'the hamburger place' was probably a bad answer.

"In bed- I mean bakeries, restaurants, food places?" Ella shrugged, "um so, where do you want to go?"

"Food places," Meiriana said quietly. "Like?"

"Um, pick one?"

Meiriana frowned slightly. "I don't know any places," she said quietly.

"The hamburger place?" Leliana suggested, deciding now that it was at least an answer even if a bad one. "Or... Ella, where do you normally go for breakfast?"

"Home or a bakery near my house." Ella shrugged.

"A bakery?" Meiriana asked. "That sounds nice, but what do you eat at a bakery? Is there one nearby?"

"I'm not sure," Leliana replied. "Maybe."

"I want cereal," Meiriana said. "Or meat."

"I thought you were vegetarian?" Leliana asked.

Meiriana tilted her head. "Because I'm an elf?"

"Because I've never seen you eat meat before," Leliana replied.

Meiriana chuckled then shrugged. She turned to look up the street, then looked the other way. "There's like no way to tell what around here sells food."

"The… food store? Wait, you don't know where to get food around here?"

Leliana sighed slightly, "Maybe we'll find some place along the way? I generally just eat leftover pizza until I run out then I get more pizza."

Meiriana shook her head. "I've never been shopping before, remember? That includes buying food."

"Oh, well," Ella said, suddenly becoming very interested in the wall, "Leliana, can you lead the way?"

Leliana nodded and decided to head in the general direction of the nearest bus stop, assuming that Meiriana might at least know if there _were_ restaurants along the bus route.

"Hey, Ella, I have a question," Meiriana said. "Do you have a lot of dogs or just one?"

"Just one," Ella said, "but he's worth a whole litter. To me, at least. He's been around for a bit."

"Is he a big dog? Is he as big as me?" Meiriana asked then she looked around and said, "If we get on the next bus, then go to the bus depot we can grab a map and those things show a lot of things about the bus routes, maybe we can find one that tells us where to get food."

Leliana nodded and finished leading them to the bus stop, which had a bench.

"I bet he's as big as me," Meiriana said looking at Ella. "Isn't he?"

"He is." Ella smiled.

"Does he do the thing?" Meiriana asked.

"I think you need to be more specific," Leliana chuckled. "What thing?"

"The thing," Meiriana said then she stuck her tongue out a little for a moment. "The thing." She sighed slightly. "On the internet they use the term 'blep'."

"Oh! The blep! Yes he does indeed do the blep," Ella said, using the most serious tone she could muster then.

Meiriana smiled happily. "He does the thing!"

"He also likes ear scratches."

Leliana shook her head slightly. "You two are so very incredibly Ferelden."

"And you're not?" Meiriana asked. "You like cheese."

"I happen to be Orlesian, Meiri," Leliana replied.

"This is very nice, but weren't we going to get breakfast?" Ella asked.

"We will," Leliana replied. "After the bus comes. How long will that be Meiri?"

"It should be here in like five minutes," Meiriana replied. "Leliana, you never told me what you did in Orlais."

"I was a singer... kind of," Leliana replied. "Are you _sure_ I haven't told you this before?"

Meiriana shrugged. "I don't remember if you did."

"A singer?" Ella asked, slightly leaning forward. "What kind of songs did you sing?"

"Ballads and chantry songs mostly," Leliana said.

"You must sound lovely, then. The Orlesian singers are very, _very_ famous after all."

Leliana chuckled slightly nervously. "Some people said that my singing was to die for, but I don't agree, I'm just kind of average actually."

"Don't sell yourself short, I'm sure a lot of people would kill to sing like you do. I hear that can be a very intense activity, depending on where you're doing it, so I bet you're more than average then."

Leliana smiled slightly. "You're trying to flatter me aren't you? It's working, but I'm not all that good. My teacher was better, but I suppose such is the nature of teaching."

If one looked at Ella in that moment, they would see the brief flash of suspicion on her eyes, but that was gone a moment later. "Ah, but sometimes the student suprasses the master, right?"

"Perhaps," Leliana said. "But that is not my life anymore, I'd rather hope it would stay in Orlais where it belongs."

"So you won't sing for me?" Meiriana pouted.

"Meiri, if I refused to sing still, I would not have joined the school choir. It's the... other parts of being a singer in Orlais that I no longer wish to do."

"Some notes too sharp for you? Or problems in harmonizing?" Ella said, crossing her arms and allowing a small, contained smile to appear.

"My teacher and I had a slight... disagreement about methods," Leliana said. "I preferred softer songs, and she was a bit more... expressive."

Ella hummed. "So, you two had problems in harmonizing your styles? Or was that purely technical?"

"Mostly technical," Leliana replied. "We worked well together until the end." She glanced at Meiriana who had mostly stopped listening and was keeping watch for the bus. "Ce qui s'est passé entre elle et moi était très mauvaise. Il n'est pas quelque chose que je souhaite impliquer Meiriana J'ai peur qu'il pourrait devenir très dangereux si mon professeur découvert où je suis maintenant." [What happened between she and I was very bad. It is not something that I wish to involve Meiriana in; I'm afraid that it could become very dangerous if my teacher found out where I am now.]

"C'est louable, mais de ce que je sais que la vie est pas facile d'échapper à. Comment êtes-vous sûr qu'elle est pas déjà impliqué? Avez-vous vu qu'elle était pourchassé hier?" [This is commendable, but for what I know life is not easy to escape. How are you sure it is not already involved? Did you see that she was chased yesterday?]

Leliana sighed slightly. "Les gens qui la poursuivaient étaient Tevinter. Si je sais quelque chose au sujet de mon professeur, elle ne serait jamais se tourner vers Tevinter pour l'aide avec quoi que ce soit. Il est donc probable qu'elle a été chassé par slavers. Je veux croire que ce soit vrai. Si ce n'est pas, et elle est impliquée, alors je dois... Je ne sais pas. Je me sens comme je dois partir, mais ce serait tout simplement la mettre elle plus en danger, non?" [The people who were pursuing her were Tevinter. If I know anything about my teacher, she would never turn to Tevinter to help with anything. It is therefore likely that she was hunted by slavers. I want to believe that's true. If it is not, and she is involved, then I would have to... I do not know. I feel like I would have to go, but that would simply put her in more danger, no?]

"Cela a du sens, mais... Ecoute, je ne sais pas votre professeur ou comment elle est ou comment elle gère des problèmes, mais serait en cours d'exécution non seulement faire empirer les choses?" [That makes sense, but... Look, I do not know your teacher or how she is or how she handles problems but would running not only make things worse?]

"Le nom de mon professeur est Marjolaine," Leliana said, "et elle est l'un des meilleurs de Orlais. Exécution d'elle est pas sage. En général, il est même pas une option, cependant, je crois qu'elle pense que je suis mort. Si elle a appris que le contraire est vrai, et est venu à Meiriana pour savoir où je suis, et Meiriana n'a pas de réponse, elle la tuerait." [My teacher's name is Marjolaine, and she is one of the best in Orlais. Running from her is not wise. Generally it isn't even an option, however, I believe she thinks that I am dead. If she learned that the opposite is true, and came to Meiriana to find out where I am, and Meiriana does not have an answer, she would kill her.]

"Si vous êtes sérieux au sujet de laisser cette vie derrière, je vais vous aider de quelque façon que je peux," Ella said quietly, still a bit suspicious about the whole thing. [If you're serious about leaving that life behind, I'll help you in any way I can.]

"I am serious-" Leliana started but was interrupted by Meiriana.

"The bus is coming," Meiriana said. "One of you has money right?"

"Like cash money?" Ella asked.

"How much?" Leliana asked trying to do the math in her head.

"One silver each," Meiriana said. "It's not hard math, I think."

"Three silvers?' Ella asked then dug around in her pocket for a second before pulling out a little pouch of change. "I probably have that."

Meiriana nodded. "It's always easiest when there's more than one people, that each one pays, so Leliana and I each need one silver."

"Wait, silver coin or silver note?" Ella asked.

"There's a silver note?" Meiriana asked. "I've only ever seen the coins."

"Yeah, there's notes," Ella said, as she looked through the change pouch and pulled out three silvers. "I have the three silvers. I was worried for a second that I might only have coppers in here."

Meiriana and Leliana each took a silver as the bus came to a stop in front of them. When the doors opened up, Meiriana took the lead in getting on the bus with Ella and Leliana following her. She dropped her coin in the farebox and then found a seat that had an empty seat next to it and one across the aisle from it and sat down. Ella followed her example, then Leliana did, but Leliana remained standing while Ella sat next to Meiriana.

"You could sit if you want," Meiriana said. "There's a seat right across from us."

"I prefer to stand," Leliana said.

"Why though?" Meiriana asked as the bus started moving again.

"It's silly," Leliana said. "Being able to stand without falling over while the bus is moving makes me feel special."

"Wait," Ella said quietly, more to herself than to her companions, "aren't buses supposed to be all crowded and stuff?"

"Sometimes," Meiriana said. "But it's early, and a weekend. And this route is one of the less travelled ones. The bus to the mall would be more crowded. You have to be really careful on crowded busses, some people get angry when you accidently bump into them, and others aren't very nice..." She trailed off for a second, thinking about things. "Course, busses that aren't crowded can have weird people on them too. Don't sit next to men. Sometimes you can't help it and the men sit next to you. Pretend you don't see them. Don't let them know that you know they're there..." Leliana frowned as she listened to Meiriana. "Don't say anything to them when they touch you because you're just as likely to get yourself kicked off as you are to get them to stop." She smiled slightly at Ella. "You probably won't have to worry about that much, you look like you could actually hurt them if they tried to mess with you."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Ella smiled back, "but then that also means that no one will hurt you while I'm here…?" She trailed off, still smiling.

"You'll be fine with us, Meiri," Leliana promised. "We'll protect you."

"Leli, honestly you look like a flower," Meiriana said.

"Well, if she's a flower then she's a rose." Ella said, trying to make eye contact with Leliana.

"And roses have thorns," Leliana said.

"Are you implying that you'd stab someone?" Meiriana asked. "Please don't stab someone."

Leliana chuckled slightly nervously. "No, I'm just saying that no one will hurt you while Ella and I are here." She smiled slightly. "It's not like I even have a knife with me. Why do you think I'd stab someone?"

"Thorns stab people," Meiriana said, as though that was supposed to be obvious.

"On the subject of knives and stabby things, well," Ella said, checking one of her pockets, "let it never be said we don't have any." She made to show what she was holding, which was a pocket knife.

Meiriana reached across and grabbed her hand quickly. "No," she hissed slightly. "If the driver sees you pull that out, you'll get kicked off the bus."

"Ah. Shit," Ella put the knife back into her pocket. "Well at least you know we're not all _entirely defenseless_."

"I mean," Meiriana said quietly, sitting back. "I _could_ bite people. So it's not like I _can't_ stop people from hurting me. But..."

"Sometimes biting makes it worse," Ella said, quickly and quietly.

"It always makes it worse," Meiriana said.

"Honestly," Leliana said, "sometimes all it takes to make it worse is existing... That's not helping." She sighed slightly. "Don't worry, you're not going to have to bite anyone Meiri. Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to go through us first."

Ella just nodded seriously, as if swearing an oath.

"Ella, have you ever left the city?" Meiriana asked, changing the topic quickly as the bus passed a travel agency advertisement.

"Yes." Ella said simply. Then she realized Meiriana was trying to change the subject and so added, "I've been to some places in Ferelden itself but most importantly Denerim, some places in the Free Marches and Val Royeaux."

"You've been to Val Royeaux?" Leliana asked.

"Lucky," Meiriana said. "I've never left the city."

"Yes, I'm very lucky," Ella said, smiling at Meiriana. Then, she looked at Leliana, smile still in place, "and yes, I've been to Val Royeaux. Multiple times, actually. It's a very pretty place and the Chant is beautiful there."

"I want to go," Meiriana said, "to the Arbor Wilds, and to the Kokari Wilds, and... places with nature."

"You mean like... what's the word... camping?" Leliana asked. "I think you'd enjoy Val Royeaux, Meiri. It's beautiful and practically everything glitters."

"I want to see a place where there's nothing but trees for miles," Meiriana replied.

"Then you'd enjoy the sights from Val Royeaux's harbor, Meiri. It's a killer view," Ella said.

"But... I want to see a forest. If I wanted to see water I'd go to the docks here," Meiriana whined.

"Fair enough," Ella said, amused that if she'd noticed all of the bardic implications Leliana and her had been making, she wasn't showing it. Considering what Leliana had said before, if it was the truth, it seemed better if she continued to be oblivious.

"Any particular reason you want to see a forest so badly?" Leliana asked.

Meiriana nodded. "My mother was Dalish, I think my dad was too. She gave me the name of the leader of the clan that we were going to be joining, I don't know where they are or if they even want me. But the way my mom talked about forests, they sound like the best place to exist. I want to see one."

Ella decided to just listen and watch the interactions between the two of them for a while. They seemed innocent enough, but one could argue that the conversations she'd just had with Leliana were innocent enough. _After all_ , she reminded herself, _I did just meet them yesterday_.

Meiriana started to try and say something until the next stop when someone got on the bus, which was actually several stops later from when they'd gotten on. The person who got on had paid then taken a seat and was not so subtly staring at Ella.

"Ella, why's he staring at you?" But as soon as Meiriana said that the man looked away in shame like he didn't want to be recognized.

"It's someone I know," Ella said, noticing she'd tensed up and trying to force herself to go back to her relaxed posture before Meiriana or Leliana could notice it.

Meiriana nodded. "I don't like him."

Leliana glanced at him for a second then said, "Are there men you do like? I've never heard you say that you like someone, when that someone was male."

Meiriana shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. That one boy at school who lets me play his video games, is fairly nice. And my... grandfather... is very nice."

"You still haven't thought to ask him for his name?" Leliana mused.

"No, but my mom knew him, and all the other elves in the city respect him. Even the criminals," Meiriana replied. "He is Haren. Which I think means grandfather. Though it might just mean elder."

"How long until we get off the bus?" Ella asked, half whispering but still keeping a conversational tone.

"It won't be long," Meiriana replied. "About ten minutes, at worst. That's if we hit all _stop_ lights as the bus heads through downtown to the depot. Otherwise, four or five minutes."

Ella could see the man that'd just gotten in the bus smirk a little, which made her stomach churn. She wondered, briefly, if it wouldn't be more practical to smash the bus' window and jump out of it. While the bus was moving.

"If it helps," Meiriana said. "He can't follow you into the women's restroom at the bus depot."

"He might surprise us all then," Ella replied softly, her hand instinctively resting over where she knew her pocket knife was.

"I mean it, Ella," Meiriana said. "The people inside the depot that handle things like lost items, bus passes, and train tickets would call the police. They don't care who it is that's doing the stupid illegal thing or for what reason. Even if the police wouldn't do anything, no one is stupid enough to _want_ to have the police called on them. The people would give one warning. If he didn't listen, you could stab him and they'd tell the police that it was self-defense. I've never seen the police not believe them, even when it was an elf who hurt someone in self-defense."

"Thanks Meiri," Ella said, still very aware that he was listening to every single word they were saying. She nudged Meiri gently and whispered, "Is it our stop already?"

Meiriana shook her head slightly. Then stood up pushed Leliana slightly, she whispered to her as she did so, "make him hear you and Ella. I need to talk to the driver for a second, and I need him not to hear." Then she said more loudly to Ella, "I'm not actually sure that we'll need to switch busses at the depot at all. Let me ask."

Leliana nodded, as Meiriana then headed up to the front of the bus. "Ella, you mentioned your dog earlier. Can you tell me more about him? Has he ever bitten someone?"

"Oh yes, mostly when he was an untrained puppy, but now he bites people when I order him to. Mabaris, you know? They don't like to see their masters hurt. So, tell me, did you ever have any pets?" Ella said.

"When I was still in Orlais I had a cat for a while," Leliana said. "Madame Furryfoot. When... I had to leave... I gave him to my friend Josephine. I hope he's doing okay. I hope they're _both_ doing okay, but I haven't had time to find a way to ask. I've always wanted a nug though. They're so cute! With their lil whiskers, and the way they go 'squeek squeek'."

Meanwhile at the front of the bus, Meiriana whispered to the driver. "I think that guy is stalking my friend, any way you could... delay him if he tries to follow when we get off at the depot?" and the driver responded with a discreet nod and whispered back, "of course."

She smiled and nodded and thanked him at a normal voice then headed back to her seat. "He says that we don't need to transfer," she said, purposefully interrupting Leliana's continued statement about why nugs are adorable. "But that it's okay to get off at the depot and go find the map that we wanted from there in the first place. The bus won't pull away again until ten or everyone's finished getting on. Whichever is later."

"Oh, that's nice," Ella smiled, "did he say how long until we get there?"

"We'll be pulling into the depot in about one minute," Meiriana replied.

"Great! So, should we start getting ready to leave or…?" She trailed off at the end.

"We're already ready to leave, I think," Meiriana replied.

Leliana smiled then said, "I bet there will be nugs at the petshop. Can we stop by there while we're out?"

"Of course! Who knows, we may even find baby nugs!" Ella said, smiling at Leliana's excitement.

"Baby nugs!" Leliana gasped as the bus came to a stop in the depot. "I'm not sure there's anything cuter in existence."

Meiriana smiled slightly and stood up. She motioned for Ella to follow and once the doors were opened she led them off the bus together. "We should be fine," she whispered. "The bus driver is going to do his best to distract the guy." She led them past the people gathering and waiting for busses and inside the depot quickly.

"With any luck," Leliana said once they were inside. "He thinks we'll be returning to the same bus, right?"

Meiriana nodded. "It's going to be okay. We just need to be sure he doesn't see what buss we actually get on."

"We should go fast then. He's not known for his patience," Ella said, looking for the best route to hide from that bus' sights.

"Okay, the maps are on the wall by the restrooms,' Meiriana poined. "I _think_ there's food places, restaurants the route that also goes to the mall, it'll be the most crowded bus, easy to get lost in the crowd of people."

"Good. Hopefully that way he won't be able to see us that easily," Ella nodded and then continued, to herself, "or to tell her where we are."

"Her?" Meiriana asked as she led Leliana and Ella over to the maps.

"Oh, no one of importance," Ella said, looking around. She couldn't see him anywhere, which was always a good sign.

"Leliana, which one goes to the mall, I can't reach the ones at the top," Meiriana whined.

"Routes three, five, and twelve, _all_ go to the mall," Leliana said, looking at the route pamphlets. She pulled those three of and handed route three to Ella, and five to Meiriana, as she looked at the map on the inside to see if route twelve had any restaurants on it.

Meiriana looked through the pamphlet then gasped. "There's a buffet! That's like got _all_ the food, right?" She looked at Ella with a look of 'pretty please' on her face, puppy eyes included.

Ella smiled at Meiriana's perfect puppy eyes and smiled. "Yes. It's got all the food. I have the _slight_ impression you want to go there?"

Meiriana nodded slightly, excitedly. "I've never been to a buffet before."

"You've never-? Well then, it's time to fix that, right?" Ella took Meiriana's hand without thinking and interlaced their fingers. "You ready?"

Meiriana nodded excitedly. "Yeah!"

Leliana chuckled. "I wasn't aware I'd brought two excited puppies into my life."

Ella raised her and Meiriana's hands and wiggled her eyebrows. "We are Fereldan, our dearest resident Orlesian."

Leliana chuckled slightly, "Yes, I suppose you are. So, we're going to a buffet? That means we'll need to take route five."

Meiriana nodded. "Yeah. That's in the busses that board right here just outside the door, we won't need to cross the lanes this time, and we'll be hidden from the bus we got off, by other busses."

Ella looked down and noticed she was still holding Meiriana's hand. _Oops_. "All right, lead the way Meiri," she said as she let it go. _Hopefully nothing bad will happen. Maker knows that's the last thing any of us needs right now_.

Meiriana frowned very slightly when Ella let go of her hand. "Okay, I'll lead." She started walking toward the closest exit then said "We're gonna need to pay again when we get on the next bus, just for the record."

"Don't worry, I've got that covered," Ella winked as she reached into her money pouch again and pulled three silver coins from it. "Here you go."

"How many of those do you have?" Meiriana asked as she took one. "They could be really useful. Well... I mean money is always useful."

Ella rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, I've got some of these, don't worry."

"I think she's more impressed than worried," Leliana said.

"I never have more than three at a time," Meiriana said. She looked up at the clock above the door as they were walking out. "The busses will leave in like two minutes. We should hurry and get on before we end up missing it."

"Yeah, let's go," Ella said simply, trying to not let the uneasiness she was feeling show. "Missing that would be… bad."

"Yeah, it would," Meiriana said. "Then I'd be hungry for another like forty minutes." She knew that wasn't what Ella was worried about, but she hoped distracting her would make her feel a little better.

"We really can't have that!" Ella exclaimed, going back into her cheery self. "Well then, we should go now."

Meiriana smiled and walked a little ahead of them to the bus.

"Elle n'a jamais eu un ami autre que moi avant," Leliana said quietly. "J'espère que son bonheur apparemment inéluctable ne vous inquiétez pas trop." [She has never had a friend other than me before. I hope her seemingly inescapable happiness doesn't worry you too much.]

"Il ne fait pas. Pourquoi, est-ce que vous vous inquiétez?" Ella answered in kind. [It doesn't. Why, does it bother you?]

"Pas plus beaucoup. Il inquiète les gens à l'école bien. Elle espère vraiment que vous aurez envie de rester amis avec elle," Leliana replied. [Not much anymore. It worries people at school though. She really hopes that you'll want to stay friends with her.]

"Guys, hurry up," Meiriana said as she waited by the bus.'

"Sorry, we're coming!" Ella said, exchanging a meaningful look with Leliana before rushing to Meiriana's side and, then, into the bus.

After they were on the bus, Leliana managed to negotiate one woman, who was slightly older than them into giving her seat to Meiriana since there were no empty seats and she was worried about Meiriana standing on her injured leg for too long at a time.

"Thank you," Meiriana said happily to the woman.

"No problem, I've had stitches in my leg before, I know how bad it can hurt to stand with them."

Once the bus started moving, Meiriana said quietly to Ella and Leliana standing in front of her, "he was angry when he realized he'd lost her."

Leliana blinked and nodded, but didn't respond, wondering what Ella's reaction to that would be.

Oddly, Ella's response was a long silence, which was broken by a simple and quiet "I can imagine."

She didn't say anything else after that.

Leliana nodded slightly. "Angry enough to keep trying to find her?"

"No," Meiriana said. "Angry enough to tell."

Leliana raised her brows in confusion then looked at Ella for a second. She was noticeably paler than she had been just then. "Ella," she said quietly. "I know we just met yesterday, but I want you to know that you're welcome in my apartment any time, okay? It's a safe place."

"Thank you, Leliana. It's very kind of you to offer," Ella said, then took a deep breath and continued, "I'm sure that if you ever need it, you'll be able to find a safe place in my home."

Leliana smiled slightly. "Thank you. Cependant, je ne suis pas sûr que votre famille apprécierait un ancien barde dans leur maison." [However, I'm not sure your family would appreciate a former bard in their house.]

Ella smirked. "Je peux imaginer pourquoi. D'autant plus que mes parents ... eh bien." She looked at Meiriana and smiled "Do you know long it will take until our stop?" [I can imagine why. Especially since my parents ... well]

Meiriana looked up then glanced out the window and down to the map in her hands. "Ten minutes more or less."

"So," Ella fist bumped the air, "ten minutes to food!"

Meiriana smiled. "Ten minutes to food, yes."

Leliana nodded seriously. "Meiriana, I don't think you said before. When _did_ you last eat? "

Meiriana blushed slightly and shook her head. "I didn't say. It's not important."

"Of course it's important!" Ella said, "I mean, it's… food. It's important."

Meiriana shook her head. "It's not all that important," she said. "If it is then why isn't food free?"

"That… is a good point. But that doesn't mean food isn't important, I mean it just means you go to the store and buy it- oh." Ella stopped mid sentence as if she'd realized what she was both saying and about to say.

Meiriana sighed. "I haven't eaten since Thursday, if it's really all that important."

Leliana gasped.

"Don't act so surprised, Leli, I'm like twenty percent sure that only eating cold pizza for the last two days isn't much better than not eating at all."

Ella decided, again, to just watch the interactions between Meiriana and Leliana, as she thought she was completely unfit to be having that discussion.

"Cold pizza is better than nothing," Leliana said. "Why haven't you eaten? Don't you normally eat at school?"

"All they had left was those weird little 'meat' things with the tomato sauce on them? They call it barbeque. I don't think it's really meat, first off, and second. It has onions in the sauce. I can't eat it, it makes me sick," Meiriana said.

Leliana sighed. "Okay fair point, I wouldn't want you eating things that make you sick."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt but I think we're arriving at our stop," Ella said.

Meiriana nodded as she looked out the window. "It's the next one, we gotta... pull the cord. So they'll stop."

"Right. Okay. I'll do that," she said but then frowned a little, "or do we all have to pull it?"

"Just one of us is fine," Meiriana said. "We just gotta all get off at the stop or one of us will have to walk a bit from the next one."

"Okay I can pull the cord. I'm the tallest one here after all," Ella smiled, "just… tell me when I should do it?"

Meiriana nodded and looked out the window. "Now would be good. The bus will then stop at the next stop and the buffet shouldn't be too far of a walk. I think just across a parking lot."

Ella leaned over to pull the cord, which was above the window Meiriana was sitting in front of but then seemed to realize her position gave Meiriana a nice and clear view of her boobs, which made her blush a little, "um, sorry for that visual Meiri, I'll move right back in a bit."

"It's okay," Meiriana replied seeming to not even realize the problem. "I'm chest level with a lot of people. At least you're actually wearing a shirt."

"Would you rather I wasn't?" Ella said automatically.

"No," Meiriana said. "I much prefer the cartoon Mabari." She didn't realize that that could possibly have sounded a little insulting.

"I can't argue with that, this little guy is the best," Ella laughed, feeling oddly relieved.

Leliana nodded slightly. "Meiriana prefers her imagination, no?"

Meiriana glared at her. "Well, we can't _all_ prefer real things," she said as she stood up while the bus came to a stop at their stop. "Besides, I just much prefer my people with clothes on."

"I bet Leliana also has her moments," Ella said, remembering the previous night, "But it's nice to see someone who prefers her people clothed." She shrugged, "I'd say it's a refreshing change."

"Why would anyone want people without clothes on? Like what's the point? Aren't they going to get cold?" Meiriana asked.

"On the contrary, some people say it's hot," Ella said.

"But... clothes keep people warm. Why would not having them be hotter than having them?" Meiriana whined as she led them off the bus at the stop. "I don't understand."

"Good." Was all Ella said as she followed Meiriana off the bus.

Leliana was just as confused by Meiriana not understanding as Meiriana was by what they were talking about. She started to try and make a response but all she could come up with was, "some dresses can be hotter than no clothes."

" _All_ dresses are hotter than no clothes," Meiriana said. "That's how clothes _work_."

"Hey Meiri, where is the buffet again?" Ella asked, trying to cut that very confusing discussion of clothes off in the most polite way she could think of at the time.

"Its right there," Meiriana said, pointing at a building in front of them with a dark red roof and a sign with the name of the buffet on it.

"Oh, nice! So," Ella gestured dramatically to the door, "shall we?"

* * *

more notes:

Money in modern Highever (and most of Ferelden*):

smallest amount 1 copper

100 coppers is 1 silver:

One silver comes in both a coin and a note  
Five silver note  
Ten silver note  
20 silver note  
50 silver note

100 Silvers = 1 gold:

Gold only comes in notes now unless you're rich enough or a coin collector

*some places in Ferelden don't still use the 1 Silver Coin in day to day transactions as the citizens are afraid of losing them and some small villages mostly use coppers and silver coins in their day to day transactions because notes can be ripped or blow away in the wind but coppers and silver coins are too heavy and sturdy for that. (Plus the sound of coins makes people feel like they have more money than they actually do)


End file.
